a really big thing that gets in the way of healthier-ways-of-living-in-the-tension-of-our-differences is unsafety.

it’s impossible to have unity and love when there’s all kinds of unsafe, unhealthy behavior going on.

to me, another word for “safety” is “healthy”.

safer, healthier people make safer, healthier conversations.

they bridge divides.

my take is that this skill of becoming safer people is under-developed ones in many churches. we are often good at bible knowledge & ministry programs & all kinds of other amazing tasks, but some of these basic healthy relationship skills are the lowest priority. maybe because they are much harder to practice! in fact, a lot of our experiences have made church one of the most unsafe, unhealthy places on earth and that is part of the reason many people have given up on it all together. i understand. my experience has been that many systems–faith-based or not–stink at healthy relationship in community with one another.

learning how to be safer people won’t come in a rush, but it is so possible, especially when we are honest with ourselves about our own patterns. it’s always easy to finger point and call someone else “unsafe” but the truth is that there is always a way each and every one of us can become more safe ourselves.

part of bridging these divides is looking at the log in our own eye and working on ways to become safer people ourselves first.

as we do, our conversations will shift, we will become more graceful people, we will be able to hold a space with people who see things differently, we will learn some great stuff we need to learn, and in the end we will better reflect God’s image.

i wrote about these in down we go: living into the wild ways of Jesus in the chapter on welcoming pain and in different ways here the blog, but i thought it would be good to re-visit them this week as part of this series. many years ago i read safe people by cloud & townsend (really worth reading related to healthy relationships) and many of these ideas have evolved from there with time & experience. it’s been helpful to me to translate beyond individuals to communities as well.

i always need these reminders, especially when engaging in difficult conversations about hard things.

unsafe people (and communities):

tend to be extremely judgmental and defensive.

are quick to offer advice to others but remain unwilling to receive input or feedback.

think we have all the answers and reflect certainty that their opinion or perspective is somehow superior.

blame others for our mistakes but refuse to take responsibility for any of our own.

often demand trust as implicit in the relationship without having to offer any work on our end to earn it.

remain closed to change and are extremely rigid in our beliefs.

offer unsolicited advice, quick fixes, and do not take no for an answer.

use our power to make others unequal with them.

avoid conflict all together or create disproportionate conflict to somehow gain control in our relationships.

project that somehow we “have it all together” and rarely express our own struggles or weaknesses.

yikes! this is always such a convicting list! overall, i’d say that unsafe people & communities divide people. and they certainly can’t hold a space for the kinds of healthy, loving, honest, respectful conservations we need to have if we want to try to heal some of these deep divides between us.

but there is a better, healthier way to hold this space together.

safe people (and communities):

are good listeners, willing to sit with painful stories instead of fixing or giving unsolicited advice.

offer love and acceptance freely, without strings attached.

see beyond the surface to the good that’s within us.

help us feel comfortable being ourselves and challenge us to grow, stretch and practice.

value relationship over opinions or differences, and nurture a spirit of equality with those different from us.

receive help, input, and feedback instead of only giving it, and engage in healthy conflict instead of avoiding it.

are honest and kind, brave enough to say the hard things in love, while staying honest about our own shortcomings.

remain humbly connected to our stories and pain and are willing to share our weaknesses and struggles with others who are safe enough.

safety should never be confused with comfort. they are two different things entirely, and that is such a misrepresentation of the word. safety is sometimes horribly uncomfortable. far harder. far trickier. far more mysterious and intangible.

but oh, becoming safer people would help create safer conversations and help heal divides that desperately need healing.